GEORGE ROGERS CLARK

Clark received little formal education as a child, but eventually pursued became a surveyor. During the Revolutionary War, Clark worked to protect Kentucky and frontier settlements from British attacks. He was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel, and captures Kaskaskia and Vincennes from the British, without firing one shot. Although the British recaptured Vincennes, Clark captured it again, along with its commander, Henry Hamilton. In 1781, as a brigadier general, he led a final expedition against the loyalist Shawnee tribe of Native Americans. Clark was able to achieve a significant advantage for the patriots in the western war, despite insufficient financial assistance and supplies. After the war, Clark's reputation was tarnished by his 1786 unauthorized and unsuccessful attack on the Wabash tribe of Native Americans. Near the end of his life, he became seriously ill, both mentally and physically, due to alcoholism and strokes.